Make quiche for any meal and save leftovers for the lunchbox

I can’t remember the first time I had it, or if my mother used to make it when I was a kid, but I know I have never rejected an offer for a slice of good quiche.

In the past, I have tried to make it even easier by purchasing pre-made quiche shells – they were terrible. Part of the enjoyment of a good quiche is the buttery crust that holds it together.

As you may imagine, not all of my kids like quiche. If you are a regular reader, you may very well know who won’t eat such a thing in my house. Molly, 10, does not eat eggs. The list does not stop there, but that is another conversation all together.

Emma, 11, and Clay, 8, eat eggs, so quiche was on the menu recently.

I grabbed a bunch of spinach at the store, along with the usual pound of bacon. I mixed together the dough ingredients and sauteed the spinach.

With this much done, making the quiche would be a snap. I started the bacon cooking, which always lures people into the kitchen.

Molly and Clay worked on rolling out the dough, while Emma mixed the quiche base. It is so easy and a great recipe for any beginning cook to know. Just remember one egg to every half cup of milk.

The filling can be whatever you have on hand. It can be as simple as herbs and grated cheese. It can have sauteed vegetables and ham. Then, you just need enough egg mixture to cover your filling ingredients.

The crust needs to be prebaked, so we did that, then returned to the kitchen to fill the shell with our bacon crumbles, chopped spinach and egg mixture. The quiche bakes for 30 minutes or so, and after cooling slightly, it is ready to eat.

Try not to finish the quiche in one night. As mentioned, quiche is great as leftovers. It packs really well for lunchboxes or picnics, too.

Molly tried to pinch off the crispy edges of quiche dough to enjoy. Maybe someday she will get a little bit of filling with that crust bite and declare quiche edible.

mpoitras@discoveryspeed.com. Margery Reed Poitras is a former professional chef who now cooks for her kids and occasionally for the more mature palate.

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Servings: 4

For Filling:

3 eggs

1½ cups milk or half-and-half

½ teaspoon salt

Dash nutmeg

Fresh black pepper, to taste

1 bunch fresh spinach, washed, sauteed and squeezed of excess liquid

6 ounces bacon, chopped and sauteed until crisp

For crust:

2 cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces

6 ounces cold water

Method:

Combine flour, salt, pepper and butter in bowl of food processor. Mix until butter is in tiny pieces.

Add water, then mix until dough starts to come together. You may need to add a little more cold water.

Gather the dough into a ball and chill at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Roll out dough to fit into an 11-inch bottomless tart pan. (If you do not have a tart pan, use a pie pan.) Chill for 15 more minutes. Poke fork all around the dough so it doesn’t puff up. Bake for 20 minutes or until it starts to brown. Remove from oven and let cool.

Lower oven temperature to 375 F.

Scatter spinach and bacon in baked tart shell. Pour egg mixture in and bake for about 30 minutes or until set.